More Sydney unisexual schools are becoming co-educational, with De La Salle Boys ‘University in Ashfield being merged with an adjacent girls’ school, Bethlehem College.
The merger will also incorporate a nearby primary school, St Vincent’s, to create a co-educational catering school for pupils from kindergarten through 12. There will be three sections at the school, for the initial cycle (kindy through 4th). middle (grades 5 to 8) and upper cycle (grades 9-12).
There are few mixed options in the west interior of Sydney, as many of the local public high schools are also single-sex. “Demographics indicate a high demand for co-education in this area, which we are very interested in meeting,” said Tony Farley, principal of Sydney’s Catholic Schools.
Marist Catholic College North Sydney is in its second year of transition to co-education Credit: Kate Geraghty
Sydney has an unusually high number of boys-only schools only, especially in its public system, where there are 34 single-sex catchments. Many of the city’s private sandstone schools are also single-sex, especially in the eastern and western suburbs and on the north coast.
However, Cranbrook, a high-paying school in Bellevue Hill, is debating whether to introduce girls in the 11th and 12th years. along with a proposal to make school more culturally and socioeconomically diverse.
St Paul’s College, University of Sydney has announced plans to start accepting undergraduate students from next year. Barker College completed its transition to co-education in full this year, and The Armidale School completed its transition to co-education in 2016.
This would be the fourth new joint school created by Sydney’s Catholic schools in the last decade. It would be the first merger, however, as the other three – including Marist Penshurst and Champangat in Pagewood – had been boys’ schools opening their doors to girls.
The older Marist brothers in northern Sydney began introducing girls in Year 7 last year, when it became Marist Catholic College North Shore. It also led to St Mary’s Elementary School becoming a nursery school for up to 12 years of college.
Farley said the Ashfield merger would start gradually from 2024, when in year 7 it would become co-educational. By 2027 it would be completely mixed. Starting next year, some 11- and 12-year-olds would have mixed classes.